Wednesday, 14 April 2010

The route of the horses on the day can be very interesting as it may be a good indication of how the horse is shaping up for the race. To give you the full Ascot racing experience, you can mirror the horses’ steps as outlined below:

Pre Parade Ring: The first sight of the horses is in the Pre-Parade Ring where they are walked around by their stable hand or ‘lad’ prior to having their saddle put on. After a few laps of the ring, the horse will be led to the saddling boxes to be kitted out for the Parade Ring.

Parade Ring: The Parade Ring is where you have the best sight of the horses before the race and where many racegoers make their selections. The horses are led into the Parade Ring to warm up and looked over by the vet about 15 minutes before the race.

This also acts as an opportunity for the jockeys to have a final word with the trainer about the race ahead. Once the bell is rung jockeys climb aboard their horses and make their way to the track where the horse will be loaded into the starting stalls.

The Race: Now it’s time to take your position for the race. At Ascot there are two admission areas in which to watch the race. The Premier Admission area on Level 4 of the Grandstand overlooks the whole course and Grandstand Admission offers a closer view on the Concourse level. Both areas have a great view of the straight mile leading up to the finish.

The Winners’ Enclosure: Having watched the race, and with any luck seeing the horse you backed come in first, it’s time to head back to the Parade Ring. Each jockey will then remove the saddle and be weighed in, making sure they have not lost any weight giving them an unfair advantage. Once the buzzer is sounded the result is finalised. You can then watch the trophy presentation to the owner, trainer and jockey in the Winners’ Enclosure.